The Five Rules of Reclining Your Airplane Seat

It's amazing what people get up to on airplanes. Everything from in-flight brawling to drunken peeing in an airport terminal. One of the most common things that annoys people is still the simple act of reclining your seat.

Getty Images

That doesn't mean you can't do it. You just need to be considerate of others when you do. Here are five rules one expert says we should all be following. See what you think:

Give the person behind you a heads up. You don't even have to talk to them, just give them a quick glance to let them know you're about to lean back.

Recline your seat slowly. Don't lean all of your weight on your seat and then push the button. Push the button then lean back.

Don't recline while they're eating their meal. It's annoying to eat with a seat in your face. Plus you could spill something on their tray.

If the person behind you gets angry, don't let it make you angry. Obviously you should try to be a decent person, plus you don't want to deal with their anger for the rest of the flight. If you crush their knees or spill their drink, apologize. Don't just ignore it.

You don't have to recline the whole way. If halfway is good enough, stop there and give the person behind you the extra room.